A+X #6Review

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Two superhero poker games grow heated.

By Jesse Schedeen

A+X #6 marks the first time in this series where the two installments have some tangible connection to one another. Both the Wolverine/Captain Marvel and Thing/Gambit team-ups revolve around high stakes poker games. That sort of thing is familiar territory for the latter two, but this issue proves that poker is a strong premise for just about any superhero team-up.

Peter David scripts the Wolverine/Ms. Marvel tale. It's an uncharacteristically quiet and dialogue-driven adventure for the two, and that's part of the charm. David delivers a fun dynamic between the two that revolves around discussion of the TV series Angel and other pop culture topics of discussion usually reserved for insomniac college students. The tone is fun, the course of events silly, and the story takes strong advantage of David's talent for characterization and humor. He also makes fun use of Hawkeye and Spider-Woman as secondary players. Unfortunately, Giuseppe Camuncoli's pencils aren't necessarily that well suited to the script, as the facial works lacks the necessary range and expressiveness.

The second feature is certainly on stronger visual ground, as Stefano Caselli lends endless amounts of visual dynamism to a poker match between Thing, Gambit, and some smart-mouthed members of the Yancy Street Gang. Writer Mike Costa further livens up the story by cleverly juxtaposing the game against a more chaotic flashback sequence that chronicles the duo's previous meeting. Caselli's work is great throughout, and Costa's script is every bit as fun as David's.

This wasn't necessarily a pairing that grabbed my interest initially, but the creative team make the most of the material and deliver one of the more memorable segments in this book's lifespan. My only complaint is the placement of an intrusive editor's caption when the recap pages have been so adamant about pesky elements like continuity not mattering here.

After an early string of issues wherein only one of the two tales managed to live up to the premise, this is the third issue in a row where both segments are worth the price of admission. Judging from the newest solicits, Marvel doesn't appear to have any intention of wrapping up this book. And why should they at this rate?